Queen of Hearts

Since the boys really have been into Valentine's Day this year, I decided to make a special dinner tonight to cap off their day of school parties.  I got to help with Zach's party, which is always fun. Both Zach and Evan enjoyed the parties and passing out Valentines to their friends. They spent about 45 minutes at the kitchen table sorting through their cards and goodies after school. According to Zach, he got "about a thousand" Valentines....more like 20, but who's counting?

After sorting their Valentines, Zach and Evan had some down time on the couch. I was a little concerned when Zach came to tell me he was cold (he's never cold), then even more concerned when he wrapped himself up in blankets and didn't move from the couch. Sure enough, he had a 102 degree temp! I'm not sure what's going on -- flu? Strep? We might be heading to the doctor tomorrow.  Thankfully he perked up enough after some Motrin to join the rest of us for dinner.

The kid-friendly menu consisted of heart-shaped Monte Cristo sandwiches, green beans, and heart-shaped slices of cheese, strawberries, and bananas.

Ready to eat 

Not his usual perky self

And cranberry-orange bourbon slush for Craig and me.

We finished the meal with ice cream sundaes topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and strawberries.

To make the brownies and cookies, I baked the batter and dough in jelly roll pans, then cut them with heart cookie cutters. I saved the scraps and layered them between scoops of ice cream in the sundaes. The sundaes were a big hit! A drizzle of coffee liqueur might be in order for the adults next time.  Anyway, I'm feeling like the Queen of Hearts after cutting out all of those brownies, cookies, strawberries, bananas and sandwiches!



I had a lot of fun getting ready for Valentine's Day and celebrating this year. The best part was watching the boys get involved in the preparation and celebrations.

As my friend Wendy said, I hope you're feeling loved today! Happy Valentine's Day!